Backlight assembly and method of assembling the same and liquid crystal display including backlight assembly

ABSTRACT

A backlight assembly includes a light source unit including a circuit board, a light source disposed on a first plane of the circuit board, and at least one connection unit disposed on a second plane opposite to the first plane of the circuit board and electrically connected to the light source, a receiving container having a bottom plate and sidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plate and receiving the light source unit, the bottom plate including at least one opening portion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposed to the outside, and at least one driving unit disposed at a rear surface of the receiving container and connected to the connection unit for driving the light source unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2008-0000817 filed on Jan. 3, 2008, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a backlight assembly and a method ofassembling the same, and a liquid crystal display including thebacklight assembly, and more particularly, to a method of assembling thebacklight assembly, and a liquid crystal display including the backlightassembly.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are one of the most widely used flatpanel displays. LCDs include a liquid crystal panel for displaying animage and a backlight assembly for supplying light to the liquid crystalpanel. The backlight assembly typically includes a light source thatgenerates light, one or more optical members for diffusing/focusing thelight distributed from the light source sheets, and a housing unit forreceiving the light source and the one or more optical members. Thebacklight assembly may further include a driving unit that can drive thelight source, e.g., an inverter assembly.

Recently, a light emitting diode (LED) characterized by low powerconsumption and high brightness has been widely used as a light sourceunit of the backlight assembly. For example, a plurality of LEDs aremounted on a printed circuit board to form a light source unit. As thesize of an LCD panel increases, a direct-type light source unit may bedisposed under the LCD panel.

Conventional direct-type backlight assemblies include a plurality oflamps as the light source unit and are received horizontally in areceiving container. A driving unit may be disposed in the rear of thereceiving container. In this case, the receiving container may include aplurality of opening portions, e.g., wire leads, to connect the lightsource unit with the driving unit.

In the aforementioned backlight assembly, however, it is necessary toadditionally attach a blocking member, e.g., tape, for preventing lightleakage or infiltration of foreign matter through the opening portionsformed in the receiving container. Accordingly, the backlight assemblymay be more difficult to assemble and the production cost of thebacklight assembly may increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of assembling thebacklight assembly.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a liquid crystaldisplay including the backlight assembly.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a backlight assembly including a light source unit including acircuit board, a light source disposed on a first plane of the circuitboard, and at least one connection unit disposed on a second planeopposite to the first plane of the circuit board and electricallyconnected to the light source, a receiving container having a bottomplate and sidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plate andreceiving the light source unit, the bottom plate including at least oneopening portion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposed tothe outside, and at least one driving unit disposed at a rear surface ofthe receiving container, connected to the connection unit and drivingthe light source unit.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a method of assembling a backlight assembly, the methodincluding preparing a light source unit including a circuit board, alight source disposed on a first plane of the circuit board, and atleast one connection unit disposed on a second plane opposite to thefirst plane of the circuit board and electrically connected to the lightsource, and a receiving container having a bottom plate and sidewallsextending from edges of the bottom plate and receiving the light sourceunit, the bottom plate including at least one opening portion in whichthe connection unit is inserted and exposed to the outside, assemblingthe light source unit with the receiving container by receiving thelight source unit in the receiving container so that the connection unitis exposed to the outside through the opening portion, and disposing atleast one driving unit at a rear surface of the receiving container andconnecting the driving unit to the exposed connection unit.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal displaypanel displaying an image, and a backlight assembly disposed under theliquid crystal display panel and providing light to the liquid crystaldisplay panel, wherein the backlight assembly includes a light sourceunit including a circuit board, a light source disposed on a first planeof the circuit board, and at least one connection unit disposed on asecond plane opposite to the first plane of the circuit board andelectrically connected to the light source, a receiving container havinga bottom plate and sidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plateand receiving the light source unit, the bottom plate including at leastone opening portion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposedto the outside, and at least one driving unit disposed at a rear surfaceof the receiving container and connected to the connection unit fordriving the light source unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become apparent byreference to the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an exemplary light source unit used ina backlight assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of the lightsource unit shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of anotherexemplary light source unit according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a backlight assembly accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of thebacklight assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a portion “A” shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged view illustrating another example of the portion“A” shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a backlight assembly accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of thebacklight assembly shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, includingthe backlight assembly shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The presentinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout thespecification.

A light source unit used in a backlight assembly according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to FIGS. 1A through 1C.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a light source unit 10 includes a circuitboard 11, a plurality of LED chip packages 30, and a connection unit 20.

The circuit board 11 may be formed of an insulating material, e.g.,epoxy resin, and may include a plurality of connection pads 13 and aplurality of wires 17 on its first or second plane.

The plurality of connection pads 13 of the circuit board 11 areconnected to the plurality of wires 17 and may be formed of a metalhaving excellent conductivity, e.g., gold (Au) or copper (Cu). Theplurality of connection pads 13 may be formed on the first or secondplane of the circuit board 11, and the plurality of LED chip packages 30and the connection unit 20 are mounted thereon.

The plurality of wires 17 of the circuit board 11 are connected to theplurality of connection pads 13 and provide an externally appliedsignal, e.g., a driving signal for driving the plurality of LED chippackages 30 mounted on the connection pads 13, to the connection pads13. The plurality of wires 17 may be formed of substantially the samematerial as the connection pads 13, e.g., a metal having excellentconductivity.

The LED chip packages 30 are operated using a light source whichgenerates light by the externally applied driving signal. The pluralityof LED chip packages 30 are mounted on the plurality of connection pads13 formed on the first plane of the circuit board 11. Each of the LEDchip packages 30 includes a LED chip (not shown) generating internallight, and a mold (not shown) surrounding the LED chip made of, forexample, EMC. In addition, shapes of the LED chip packages 30 should notbe limited to the particular shapes shown and described herein and allwell-known shapes can be applied thereto.

The plurality of LED chip packages 30 may be disposed on the first planeof the circuit board 11 to be spaced apart from each other at constantintervals. Here, white light is emitted from each of the plurality ofLED chip packages 30. Also, red light, green light, and blue light areemitted from the corresponding LED chip packages 30, respectively. Insuch cases, the LED chip packages 30 may be arranged in a stripe shape,however, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limitedthereto.

A predetermined reflective member (not shown) may be formed on the firstplane of the circuit board 11, that is, the surface of the circuit board11 having the plurality of LED chip packages 30. That is, in order toprevent the light emitted from the LED chip packages 30 from beingleaked downward with respect to the circuit board 11 and to allow thelight to be uniformly illuminated upward with respect to the circuitboard 11, the reflective member may be formed on an area other than thearea of the surface of the circuit board 11 where the plurality of LEDchip packages 30 are positioned. Here, as the reflective member, commonreflective sheets, for example, can be used, however, exemplaryembodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. Any typeof known reflective member capable of reflecting light may be used asthe reflective member.

At least one connection unit 20 may be disposed on a second plane of thecircuit board 11. Referring to FIG. 1B, the at least one connection unit20 may be disposed on the plurality of connection pads 13 formed on thesecond plane of the circuit board 11. While an exemplary embodimentshows an arrangement in which a pair of connection units are formed onthe circuit board 11, embodiments of the present invention are notlimited to the illustrated arrangement.

The connection unit 20 may be electrically connected to the plurality ofwires 17 formed on the circuit board 11 through the connection pads 13.The connection unit 20 may be electrically connected to the plurality ofLED chip packages 30 formed on the first plane of the circuit board 11through the wires 17. The connection unit 20 may be formed of aconnector type, as shown by way of example, or a socket type.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the connection unit 20 includes a housing 21 madeof an insulator, a plurality of leads 22 formed at one side of thehousing 21, and a slot 23 formed at the opposite side of the housing 21.

The plurality of leads 22 formed at one side of the housing 21 may beelectrically connected to the plurality of connection pads 13 of thecircuit board 11 by soldering, for example. A predetermined connectionmember (not shown), e.g., an external connection member, is insertedinto the slot 23. A plurality of connection pins 24 may be arrangedinside the slot 23. The plurality of connection pins 24 arecorrespondingly connected to the external connection member insertedinto the slot 23 to be connected to the plurality of leads 22 in aone-to-one relationship.

The light source unit 10 may be received in a receiving container 60 tobe described later. The connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10may be inserted into the opening portion 65 formed in the receivingcontainer 60. Accordingly, the connection unit 20 of the light sourceunit 10 may be exposed to and easily connected to the outside of thereceiving container 60, e.g., the driving unit 70 connected to the rearsurface of the receiving container 60.

Referring to FIG. 1C, another exemplary light source unit 10′ accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further includea dummy circuit board 12.

The light source unit 10′ may include a circuit board 11, a plurality ofLED chip packages 30, and at least one connection unit 20.

The plurality of LED chip packages 30 may be formed on the first planeof the circuit board 11, and the connection unit 20 may be mounted onthe second plane of the circuit board 11. The connection unit 20 may beelectrically connected to the LED chip packages 30 through the pluralityof wires 17 of the circuit board 11.

A dummy circuit board 12 may be disposed on the second plane of thecircuit board 11. The dummy circuit board 12 may be disposed on an areaof the second plane of the circuit board 11 having the connection unit20. Accordingly, the connection unit 20 may be positioned on the dummycircuit board 12 as well.

A plurality of connection pads 14 where the connection unit 20 can bemounted may be formed on the dummy circuit board 12. In addition, aplurality of wires 18 electrically connected to the plurality ofconnection pads 14 may also be formed on the connection pads 14. Thewires 18 of the dummy circuit board 12 may be electrically connected tothe wires 17 of the circuit board 11, as described above.

Thus, the connection unit 20 disposed on the dummy circuit board 12 maybe electrically connected to the plurality of wires 17 of the circuitboard 11 formed on the dummy circuit board 12 through the plurality ofconnection pads 14 and the plurality of wires 18. The plurality of wires18 are electrically connected to the plurality of LED chip packages (30of FIG. 1A) positioned on one plane of the circuit board 11.

The dummy circuit board 12 may be formed of substantially the samematerial as the circuit board 11, e.g., epoxy resin.

The dummy circuit board 12 of the light source unit 10′ has a sizesubstantially the same as the opening portion 65 of the receivingcontainer 60, and will be described later. Accordingly, when the lightsource unit 10′ is received in the receiving container 60, the dummycircuit board 12 of the light source unit 10′ and the connection unit 20can be simultaneously inserted into the opening portion 65 of thereceiving container 60 to then be connected with each other.

The dummy circuit board 12 of the light source unit 10′ may havesubstantially the same thickness as that of the receiving container 60.Accordingly, when the light source unit 10′ is received in the receivingcontainer 60, and the dummy circuit board 12 of the light source unit10′ and the connection unit 20 are together inserted into the openingportion 65 of the receiving container 60 to then be connected, only theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10′ may protrude outside thereceiving container 60.

That is, the light source unit 10′ is formed so as to overlap with thedummy circuit board 12 having a stepped portion with respect to thecircuit board 11 and the connection unit 20 on the second plane of thecircuit board 11. In such a manner, when the light source unit 10′ andthe receiving container 60 are connected with each other, the dummycircuit board 12 of the light source unit 10′ can prevent infiltrationof foreign matter or a light leak due to the opening portion 65 of thereceiving container 60. Accordingly, the light efficiency of the lightsource unit 10′ can be increased and the ease of assembly of the lightsource unit 10′ and the receiving container 60 can be improved.

A backlight assembly according to an embodiment of the present inventionwill be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 through 4B.For convenience of illustration, backlight assemblies using the lightsource units shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be described. However, thelight source unit shown in FIG. 1C may also be used in the backlightassembly.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a backlight assembly accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is aperspective view illustrating a rear surface of the backlight assemblyshown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a portion “A” shown inFIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view illustrating another example ofthe portion “A” shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2, the backlight assembly 100 includes alight source unit 10, optical sheets 40, a mold frame 50, a receivingcontainer 60, and a driving unit 70.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the light sourceunit 10 may be configured such that a plurality of light sources, e.g.,a plurality of LED chip packages 30, are disposed on a first plane of acircuit board 11, and a connection unit 20 connected to an externalcircuit is disposed on a second plane of the circuit board 11.

The light source unit 10 may be plural light source units disposedinside the receiving container 60. Here, the plural light source units10 are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the receiving container60, e.g., in a direction substantially parallel to the short side of thereceiving container 60, to be received in the receiving container 60.

The optical sheets 40 are disposed on the light source unit 10, andserve to diffuse and focus light coming from the light source unit 10.Examples of the optical sheets 40 include a diffusion sheet, a prismsheet, a protective sheet, and various other sheets with similarproperties.

The mold frame 50 has a quadrangle shape, and receives the opticalsheets 40 and the light source unit 10. The mold frame 50 can be formedof, for example, an insulating resin.

The receiving container 60 includes a bottom plate 61 and sidewalls 62extending from the bottom plate 61. The receiving container 60 may havea rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an upper surface thereof may beopen to provide a receiving space. The receiving container 60 receivesthe light source unit 10 and the optical sheets 40 in the receivingspace. The receiving container 60 is combined to the mold frame 50 tofixedly receive the light source unit 10 and the optical sheets 40.

At least one opening portion 65 may be formed on the bottom plate 61 ofthe receiving container 60. The at least one connection unit 20 of theaforementioned light source unit 10 may be inserted into the at leastone opening portion 65 to then be connected with each other in aone-to-one relationship.

The opening portion 65 may be formed along the long side or short sideof the bottom plate 61 of the receiving container 60 and may be plurallyformed along one of long sides of the bottom plate 61 of the receivingcontainer 60. Alternatively, the opening portion 65 may be plurallyformed along one or both of the long sides of the bottom plate 61 of thereceiving container 60. By way of example, the opening portion 65 isformed along one of the long sides of the bottom plate 61, however, theopening portion 65 may also be plurally formed along both sides of thelong sides of the bottom plate 61 of the receiving container 60.

The plurality of connection units 20 of the light source unit 10 areinserted into the opening portions 65 of the receiving container 60 tothen be connected with each other. Here, the connection units 20 arefittingly inserted into the opening portions 65 to be connected witheach other, but the connection method is not limited to the illustratedexample.

The connection units 20 of the light source unit 10 fittingly connectedto the opening portions 65 of the receiving container 60 are exposed tothe outside of the receiving container 60, i.e., a rear surface of thereceiving container 60. Accordingly, the driving unit 70 (describedlater) can be connected to the connection units 20 of the exposed lightsource unit 10, thereby improving the assembling efficiency of the lightsource unit 10 and the receiving container 60.

The opening portions 65 of the receiving container 60 are blocked by theconnection units 20 of the light source unit 10, thereby preventinginfiltration of foreign matter and a light leak of the light source unit10.

At least one connection hole (not shown) may be correspondingly disposedon the circuit board 11 of the light source unit 10 and on the bottomplate 61 of the receiving container 60, respectively. Accordingly, theplurally formed connection hole allows the light source unit 10 and thereceiving container 60 to be more securely connected to each other via ascrew connection.

The connection hole may be plurally formed on the bottom plate 61adjacent to the opening portion 65 of the receiving container 60 or onthe circuit board 1 adjacent to the connection unit 20 of the lightsource unit 10. Accordingly, infiltration of foreign matter and a lightleak of the light source unit 10 can be prevented by securely connectingthe connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 to the openingportion 65 of the receiving container 60. The receiving container 60 maybe formed of a metal, for example, Al or Al alloy, but is not limitedthereto.

At least one driving unit 70 may be disposed at a rear surface of thereceiving container 60 and may be connected to the connection unit 20 ofthe light source unit 10 exposed by the opening portion 65. The drivingunit 70 may include a plurality of electronic components and cangenerate a predetermined driving signal which can drive the light sourceunit 10.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4A, the light source unit 10 and the drivingunit 70 are connected to each other using a predetermined connectionmember 90. Therefore, the driving signal generated from the driving unit70 may be provided to the light source unit 10 through the connectionmember 90 to drive the light source unit 10.

The driving unit 70 is connected to and disposed on the rear surface ofthe receiving container 60. Here, the driving unit 70 may be positionedat one of the long sides of the receiving container 60, i.e., at oneside of the bottom plate 61 where the opening portion 65 is formed, tobe adjacent to the opening portion 65.

In addition, at least one connection unit 80 may be formed at thedriving unit 70 to be connected to the connection unit 20 of the lightsource unit 10.

The light source unit 10 is received in the receiving container 60 andconnected to the connection unit 80. The connection unit 20 of the lightsource unit 10 is inserted into the opening portion 65 of the receivingcontainer 60 to be exposed to the outside of the receiving container 60,i.e., a rear surface of the bottom plate 61 of the receiving container60.

The connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 has substantially thesame connection type as described above with reference to FIG. 1B, e.g.,a connector type.

Like the connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10, the connectionunit 80 of the driving unit 70 includes a housing 81 made of aninsulator, a plurality of leads 82 formed at one side of the housing 81,and a slot (not shown) formed at the opposite side of the housing 81. Inaddition, a plurality of connection pins (not shown) may be arrangedinside the slot of the connection unit 80 of the driving unit 70.

The connection unit 80 of the driving unit 70 may be mounted on thecircuit board 71 of the driving unit 70 and connected to the pluralityof wires 75 formed on the circuit board 71.

A predetermined connection member 90 may be provided between theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 and the connection unit80 of the driving unit 70 for connecting the same. By way of example,the connection member 90 uses a flexible cable 91, but is not limitedthereto.

The connection member 90 may include a flexible cable 91 and a cableholder 95. That is, the connection member 90 may include a flexiblecable 91 having a plurality of wires separated and insulated from eachother, and a cable holder 95 made of an insulator positioned at oppositeends of the flexible cable 91.

Accordingly, the connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 and theconnection unit 80 of the driving unit 70 are connected to each other bythe connection member 90, that is, the flexible cable 91 and the cableholder 95. Thus, one cable holder 95 connected to one end of theflexible cable 91 is inserted into the slot 23 of the connection unit 20of the light source unit 10, and another cable holder 95 connected tothe other end of the flexible cable 91 is inserted into the slot of theconnection unit 80 of the driving unit 70.

A plurality of pinholes 97 that can be correspondingly connected to theslot 23 of the connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 and theslot of the connection unit 80 of the driving unit 70 may be arranged oneach cable holder 95. The plurality of pinholes 97 and the plurality ofwires of the flexible cable 91 are correspondingly connected to eachother in a one-to-one relationship.

Therefore, the connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 iselectrically connected to the connection unit 80 of the driving unit 70by the cable holder 95 and the flexible cable 91. Accordingly, thedriving signal generated by the driving unit 70 may be provided to theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 through the connectionunit 80 of the driving unit 70, the cable holder 95 and the flexiblecable 91.

The light source unit 10 and the driving unit 70 may also be connectedto each other by a socket connection, which will now be described inmore detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4B. The light source unit 10is received in the receiving container 60. The connection unit 20 of thelight source unit 10 is inserted into the opening portion 65 of thereceiving container 60 to be exposed to the outside of the receivingcontainer 60, i.e., a rear surface of the bottom plate 61 of thereceiving container 60.

Here, the connection unit 20′ of the light source unit 10 may be formedof a socket type. That is, the connection unit 20′ includes a housing21′ made of an insulator, a plurality of leads 22′ formed at one side ofthe housing 21′, and a slot 23′ formed at the opposite side of thehousing 21′.

As described above, the plurality of leads 22′ may be electricallyconnected to the plurality of connection pads 13 formed on the circuitboard 11 of the light source unit 10. In addition, a plurality ofconnection pins 24′ opposite to the plurality of leads 22′ are arrangedinside the slot 23′. The plurality of connection pins 24′ may beinwardly bent at a predetermined angle, e.g., about 90°, with respect tothe housing 21′ so as to be connected to socket connection units 72 of adriving unit 70.

The driving unit 70 may be positioned on the rear surface of thereceiving container 60 to be adjacent to a plurality of opening portions65.

At least one socket connection unit 72 into which the connection unit20′ of the light source unit 10 can, be inserted for connection may beformed at one side of the circuit board 71 of the driving unit 70. Thesocket connection unit 72 may protrude outwardly in consideration of alength in which it is inserted into the connection unit 20′ of the lightsource unit 10.

In addition, the socket connection unit 72 may further include aplurality of connection pads 86 connected to the plurality of connectionpins 24′ arranged inside the slot 23′ of the connection unit 20′ of thelight source unit 10. The plurality of connection pads 86 may beelectrically connected to the plurality of wires 75 formed on thecircuit board 71 of the driving unit 70′.

Meanwhile, the driving unit 70 and the light source unit 10 areconnected to each other by inserting the socket connection unit 72 ofthe driving unit 70 into the connection unit 20′ of the light sourceunit 10 exposed to the rear surface of the receiving container 60.Therefore, the driving signal generated by the driving unit 70 may beprovided to the socket connection unit 72 of the driving unit 70 throughthe plurality of connection pads 86 and the connection unit 20′ of thelight source unit 10 to drive the light source unit 10.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, a predetermined blocking member, e.g.,an insulating tape (not shown), is attached to the opening portion 65 ofthe receiving container 60 to be shielded from the outside. That is, asshown in FIG. 3, when the connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10is inserted into the opening portion 65 of the receiving container 60and connected to the driving unit 70, the insulating tape is attached tothe opening portion 65 of the receiving container 60. The insulatingtape can prevent light leakage or infiltration of foreign matter.

A backlight assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The backlight assembly 101 includes a light source unit 10, opticalsheets 40, a mold frame 50, a receiving container 60, and driving units70 a and 70 b.

The light source unit 10, the optical sheets 40, and the mold frame 50are substantially the same as those in FIGS. 2 and 3, and detailedexplanations thereof will be omitted.

The receiving container 60 includes a bottom plate 61 and sidewalls 62extending from the bottom plate 61. The receiving container 60 may havea rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an upper surface thereof may beopen to provide a receiving space. The receiving container 60 receivesthe light source unit 10 and the optical sheets 40 in the receivingspace. The receiving container 60 is combined with the mold frame 50 tofixedly receive the light source unit 10 and the optical sheets 40.

At least one opening portion 65 may be formed on the bottom plate 61 ofthe receiving container 60. The at least one connection unit 20 of theaforementioned light source unit 10 may be inserted into the at leastone opening portion 65 to then be connected with each other.

By way of example, the opening portion 65 may be formed along the longside or short side of the bottom plate 61 of the receiving container 60.

The opening portion 65 may be plurally formed along both of the shortsides of the bottom plate 61 of the receiving container 60. Theplurality of opening portions 65 may be formed opposite to each other.

The light source unit 10 may be disposed as plural units inside thereceiving container 60 to be connected thereto. The light source unit10, that is, the plurality of light source units 10, are arranged in ahorizontal direction of the receiving container 60, e.g., in a directionsubstantially parallel to the long side of the receiving container 60,to be received in the receiving container 60.

The connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 may be inserted intothe opening portion 65 in the receiving container 60 to then beconnected with each other. The connection unit 20 may be fittinglyinserted into the opening portion 65 to be connected with each other,but the connection method is not limited to the illustrated example.

The connection units 20 of the light source unit 10 fittingly connectedto the opening portions 65 of the receiving container 60 are exposed tothe outside of the receiving container 60, i.e., a rear surface of thereceiving container 60. Accordingly, the driving units 70 a and 70 b canbe connected to the connection units 20 of the exposed light source unit10, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the light source unit 10and the receiving container 60.

The opening portion 65 of the receiving container 60 may be blocked bythe connection unit 20 of the light source unit 10, thereby preventinginfiltration of foreign matter and light leaks of the light source unit10.

As described above, at least one connection hole (not shown) may becorrespondingly disposed on the light source unit 10 and the receivingcontainer 60, respectively. That is, the connection hole may be plurallydisposed on the bottom plate 61 adjacent to the opening portion 65 ofthe receiving container 60 and on the circuit board 11 adjacent to theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10, respectively.Accordingly, the plurally formed connection hole allows the connectionunit 20 of the light source unit 10 and the opening portion 65 of thereceiving container 60 to be more securely connected to each other by ascrew connection.

Accordingly, infiltration of foreign matter and a light leak of thelight source unit 10 can be prevented by securely connecting theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 to the opening portion 65of the receiving container 60.

The receiving container 60 may be formed of a metal, for example, Al orAl alloy, but is not limited thereto.

The driving units 70 a and 70 b may be positioned on the rear surface ofthe receiving container 60. The driving units 70 a and 70 b may includea plurality of electronic components and can generate a predetermineddriving signal which can drive the light source unit 10.

The driving units 70 a and 70 b may be disposed at both of the shortsides of the rear surface of the receiving container 60, i.e., the shortsides of the rear surface adjacent to the opening portion 65,respectively, and may be electrically connected to the connection unit20 of the light source unit 10 through the opening portion 65 of thereceiving container 60. The driving signal generated from the drivingunits 70 a and 70 b may be provided to the light source unit 10 to drivethe light source unit 10.

Connecting the driving units 70 a and 70 b with the light source unit 10may be performed in substantially the same manner as in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

As described above, the driving units 70 a and 70 b may be connected tothe light source unit 10 using a cable with a connector or socket, and adetailed explanation thereof will not be repeated.

In addition, a predetermined blocking member, e.g., an insulating tape(not shown), is attached to the opening portion 65 of the receivingcontainer 60 to be shielded from the outside. That is, when theconnection unit 20 of the light source unit 10 is connected to thedriving units 70 a and 70 b by a connection member 90, the blockingmember, that is, the insulating tape, is attached to the opening portion65 of the receiving container 60. The insulating tape can then preventlight leakage or infiltration of foreign matter.

A liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, including the aforementioned backlight assembly, willbe described with reference to FIG. 7. For convenience of illustration,a liquid crystal display using the backlight assembly shown in FIG. 2will be described. However, the backlight assembly shown in FIG. 5 mayalso be used in the liquid crystal display.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, includingthe backlight assembly shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 7, the liquid crystal display 200 generally includes aliquid crystal panel assembly 130 and a backlight assembly 100.

The liquid crystal panel assembly 130 includes a liquid crystal panel131 including two substrates, i.e., a thin film transistor (“TFT”)substrate 132 and a color filter substrate 133, liquid crystals (notshown), driving chip packages 134 and 135, and a printed circuit board136.

In the liquid crystal panel 131, the TFT substrate 132 includes gatelines (not shown), data lines (not shown), an array of TFTs (not shown),pixel electrodes, and other various components. The color filtersubstrate 133 includes color filters, black matrices (not shown), acommon electrode, and other various components, and is disposed oppositeto the TFT substrate 132. A liquid crystal layer having opticalanisotropy is interposed between the TFT substrate 132 and the colorfilter substrate 133.

The driving chip packages 134 and 135 include gate-driving chip packages134, and data-driving chip packages 135. The gate-driving chip packages134 are connected to gate lines formed on the TFT substrate 132 and thedata-driving chip packages 135 are connected to data lines formed on theTFT substrate 132. The driving chip packages 134 and 135 may be formedas a tape carrier package (“TCP”) type, for example.

A plurality of electronic components are mounted on the printed circuitboard 136 to provide gate-driving signals to the gate-driving chippackages 134 and data-driving signals to data-driving chip packages 135.The printed circuit board 136 may be bent to the rear surface of thereceiving container 60 of the backlight assembly 100 and connectedthereto.

The backlight assembly 100 for providing light to the liquid crystalpanel 131 is disposed under the liquid crystal panel assembly 130.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1A through 6, the backlightassembly 100 includes the light source unit 10, the optical sheets 40,mold frame 50, the receiving container 60, and the driving unit 70.

An upper receiving container 140 may be disposed to cover an upperportion the liquid crystal panel 131. The upper receiving container 140may be combined with the receiving container 60 of the backlightassembly 100. A window (not shown) may be formed on a top surface of theupper receiving container 140 to expose the liquid crystal panel 131 tothe outside.

While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been describedfor illustrative purposes, it will be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

1. A backlight assembly comprising: a light source unit including acircuit board, a light source disposed on a first plane of the circuitboard, and at least one connection unit disposed on a second planeopposite to the first plane of the circuit board and electricallyconnected to the light source; a receiving container having a bottomplate and sidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plate andreceiving the light source unit, the bottom plate including at least oneopening portion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposed tothe outside; and at least one driving unit disposed at a rear surface ofthe receiving container and connected to the connection unit for drivingthe light source unit, wherein the light source unit further includes adummy circuit board disposed between the circuit board and theconnection unit, and the dummy circuit board is substantially the samesize as or smaller than the opening portion so as to be inserted intothe opening portion.
 2. The backlight assembly of claim 1, wherein theconnection unit is one of a connector type or a socket type.
 3. Thebacklight assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate is of arectangular shape.
 4. The backlight assembly of claim 3, wherein theopening portion is formed along at least one of a long side or a shortside of the bottom plate.
 5. The backlight assembly of claim 1, whereinthe driving unit is connected to the connection unit with a connectorusing one of a cable or a socket.
 6. The backlight assembly of claim 1,further comprising an insulating tape attached to the receivingcontainer to cover the opening portion.
 7. The backlight assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the light source includes a plurality of light emittingdiodes (LEDs).
 8. A method of assembling a backlight assembly, themethod comprising: preparing a light source unit including a circuitboard, a light source disposed on a first plane of the circuit board,and at least one connection unit disposed on a second plane opposite tothe first plane of the circuit board and electrically connected to thelight source, and a receiving container having a bottom plate andsidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plate and receiving thelight source unit, the bottom plate including at least one openingportion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposed to theoutside; assembling the light source unit with the receiving containerby receiving the light source unit in the receiving container so thatthe connection unit is exposed to the outside through the openingportion; and disposing at least one driving unit at a rear surface ofthe receiving container and connecting the driving unit to the exposedconnection unit, wherein the light source unit further includes a dummycircuit board disposed between the circuit board and the connectionunit, and the dummy circuit board is substantially the same size as orsmaller than the opening portion so as to be inserted into the openingportion.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the connecting of the drivingunit to the exposed connection unit comprises connecting the drivingunit to the connection unit with a connector using one of a cable or asocket.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the opening portion is formedalong at least one of a long side or a short side of the bottom plate,and the connection unit is fittingly connected to the opening portion.11. The method of claim 8, wherein after connecting the driving unitwith the exposed connection unit, further comprising attaching aninsulating tape to the receiving container to cover the opening portion.12. A liquid crystal display comprising: a liquid crystal display paneldisplaying an image; and a backlight assembly disposed under the liquidcrystal display panel and providing light to the liquid crystal displaypanel, wherein the backlight assembly comprises: a light source unitincluding a circuit board, a light source disposed on a first plane ofthe circuit board, and at least one connection unit disposed on a secondplane opposite to the first plane of the circuit board and electricallyconnected to the light source; a receiving container having a bottomplate and sidewalls extending from edges of the bottom plate andreceiving the light source unit, the bottom plate including at least oneopening portion in which the connection unit is inserted and exposed tothe outside; and at least one driving unit disposed at a rear surface ofthe receiving container and connected to the connection unit for drivingthe light source unit, wherein the light source unit further includes adummy circuit board disposed between the circuit board and theconnection unit, and the dummy circuit board is substantially the samesize as or smaller than the opening portion so as to be inserted intothe opening portion.
 13. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, whereinthe bottom plate is of a rectangular shape.
 14. The liquid crystaldisplay of claim 13, wherein the opening portion is formed along atleast one of a long side or a short side of the bottom plate.
 15. Theliquid crystal display of claim 12, wherein the driving unit isconnected to the connection unit with a connector using one of a cableor a socket.
 16. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, furthercomprising an insulating tape attached to the receiving container tocover the opening portion.
 17. The liquid crystal display of claim 12,wherein the light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes(LEDs).